Gout is a complex form of arthritis, and although it’s shrouded in mystery and often overlooked by those who don’t suffer it, it can be excruciating and debilitating to those who do. It is caused by a build-up of uric acid in the blood, which is the product of the breakdown of waste substances that usually dissolve in the blood and get processed by the kidneys. For people that suffer gout attacks, their kidneys don’t get rid of the uric acid fast enough and it crystallizes and collects in the joint. Symptoms include sudden pain, tenderness, heat, and redness in joints. In many cases it is at the base of the big toe, and the pain can be so unbearable that even a feather light touch will be too much to bear. Gout is chronic, and there are a good number of people out there who don’t want to be on aspirin for the rest of their lives. By making a blend of these ingredients and tapping into their natural healing properties, you can help relieve/prevent your symptoms, similar to how a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory would.

Why pineapple: Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain, which has been shown to be useful in reducing inflammation. The theory behind why it works lies in that it affects prostaglandin synthesis (basically, it interferes with the hormones that send the signal that something should swell up.) Bromelain is also an enzyme that digests proteins (hence why pineapple is so popular for tenderizing meat) and gout has been linked to diets high in protein, which can cause an excess of uric acid to build up in the blood.

Why Turmeric: Turmeric contains curcumin, which has seen great success with pain relief lately. Curcumin blocks the production of the protein that tells blood vessels to enlarge.

Why ginger root: Ginger root contains gingerols, an active component that is related to capsaicin. Gingerols are structured much like capsaicin on a molecular level, which means it may help inhibit the signals sent to your brain that trigger pain. They also lessen the enzymes causing inflammation.

Why tart cherry juice (optional): Cherries have been linked to lowering levels of uric acid in studies, and although the studies were not specifically done on gout, it is very possible that it would help prevent an attack if consumed regularly.

You will need…

-1 pineapple

-1-2 teaspoons of powdered turmeric

-2-3 teaspoons of powdered ginger, or 1 inch off of a fresh ginger root

-1 cup of tart cherry juice

-Honey (optional)

-Blender, food processor, or lots of elbow grease

-A glass container with a tightly fitting lid

-A strainer

gout drink ingredients

Directions

Cut the skin and stem off of the pineapple. You can either chop up and use the stem and strain the drink, or you can opt not to use it. The reason why you might include it is because the stem has a high concentration of bromein, but using just the fruit is ok too. Slice the pineapple into chunks that are roughly the same size and toss them in your food processor or blender. Whirl them around until they are pretty evenly mashed up, pour in 1 cup of tart cherry juice, and then sprinkle in 1-2 teaspoons of turmeric and 2-3 teaspoons of ginger. Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to a week and a half. You can add honey to taste if you’d like, and also choose to use the greater or lesser amount of turmeric and ginger depending on how you like it.

pineapple turmeric drink

Notes: Like nettle tea, if you can have some of this daily, go for it. It might help prevent a gout attack in the first place. Otherwise, you can grab a glass as needed for the pain when it flares up. The drink will keep up to a month in the refrigerator. If you make it on a regular basis, just make one big batch and then do a new one at the end of the month. If it is not practical or possible for you to get a pineapple, there are bromein supplements out there. Do not get any sort of canned or preserved pineapple as the enzymes will have been killed off by heat used in the process of making the product.

As our diets change (not exactly for the better) and more people experience high blood pressure, instances of gout are becoming more and more frequent. Finding out what foods might trigger you will be hugely beneficial, as well as following a “gout” diet. Remember that just because something is natural doesn’t guarantee its safe-if you are on medication or if you don’t know how these ingredients might affect you, always check with a medical professional before using.

Tip: If you’re not in the mood to have a drink, turmeric, ginger, and bromein all come in supplemental form for preventative measures. Again, make sure they are safe for you to take!

Exceed yourself
You’ve figured out how to get it done. Now figure out how to
do it even better.
Expect the best of yourself. Then find a way to exceed
those expectations.
Be pleased with what you’ve done, and satisfied with how
far you’ve come. But don’t let it make you complacent.
No matter what you’ve
done before, today is your opportunity to exceed yourself. Where you are is not
a place to rest indefinitely, but rather a place from which to move forward.
Each achievement sets the stage for even greater achievement. Every
fulfilling experience opens the door to even greater fulfillment.
Challenge
yourself to exceed yourself. You deserve the best, and you deserve to keep
making the best even better and better.
Ralph Marston

In their book The Big Book of Jewish Humor (HarperCollins,
1981), authors Novak and Waldoks tell of a woman from New York who, on her 80th
birthday, decided to prepare her last will and testament. She went to her rabbi
to make two final requests. First, she insisted on cremation.

“What is your second request?” the rabbi asked.

“I want my ashes scattered over the Bloomingdale’s
store.”

“Why Bloomingdale’s?”

“Then I’ll be sure that my daughters visit me twice a
week.”

I know we can't ensure others will show they care in the way
we expect, though we all want to know that people do care. Maybe it's about
being assured that we are not alone in this world. For that reason, we are drawn
to those who make us feel as if we matter.

My grandmother was such a person. She was someone who made me
feel important to her. She lived far away, so visits were special. When we got
together she acted as if she truly missed me. Some days she would slip me little
gifts – like chewing gum, a homemade cookie or money “so you can buy yourself a
treat.” She once whispered that I was her favorite. (I now have evidence that
she said the same thing to each of her grandchildren, which still causes me to
chuckle.) She made the effort to be present at the important times in my life.

I felt valued by her. She took me seriously. At age eight or
nine I complained one day that I had trouble breathing and I said that I thought
my nasal passage was somehow blocked. She actually put her finger up my nose to
feel for an obstruction. (Did I mention she was blind?) There was a blockage and
because of her intervention with my family I eventually saw a doctor and had
corrective surgery.

I don't remember her ever telling me how much she cared about
me. It just wasn't her way. She wasn't gushy and she didn't often say those
things to people. But she told me how she felt in a different way – she noticed
me. She paid attention to me. I felt as if I were a piece in her life puzzle and
she would notice if I were missing or didn't fit in just right. And my awareness
of this made a huge difference.

Poet Maya Angelou writes:

“People will forget what you said
People will forget what
you did
But people will never forget how you made them feel.”

I wonder what would happen if I set out to make everyone in my
presence feel as I felt around my grandmother – like they matter. How would that
change the way I treat others and what difference might it make to them?

Who doesn't want to know that we notice them and value them?
And who might respond to us better when they feel that they matter?

It probably cannot be overstated – it matters...that people
matter.

Steve Goodier

***

Do what you must doAchievement is a matter of
putting your mind to it and focusing your actions on it. Anything is possible
when you set your intention on making it happen. There are always plenty of
reasons why you can’t get it done. Yet you can choose to do it anyway. You
can find a way. If one approach doesn’t work, another one will. Decide what
you will do, and then do what you decide. Life is too precious, and too filled
with great possibilities, to settle for anything less. Do what you must do
until the goal is achieved. You’re smart and motivated and capable, so make it
count for something meaningful. Achievement is yours to do. So choose today
to get it done. Ralph Marston***
Leave the past where it belongs
Don’t stumble over something behind you.
Don’t use the past as an excuse to miss out on today. You do not heal the wounds
of the past by digging deeper into them.
Acceptance truly is the bitter pill
you have to bravely swallow to move beyond yesterday’s sorrows. It’s a choice
you must make. Because the truth of the matter is that history only dictates the
future if you allow it. In other words, you only have to relive it if you choose
to.

"I am ready to move on with my life, and I am ready to put
behind me the things that belong there."

Forgiveness allows us to move on with our lives, leaving the
mistakes of the past where they belong--in our pasts rather than in our present.
I wish you the ability to see clearly when it's important for you to ask
forgiveness for the hurts that you might have caused others. Often, we don't
clearly see the results of our own actions, and others suffer needlessly,
wondering why we've done what we've done. We often can clear the air and clear
our lives and ease our minds with a simple apology, but we need to know when
such an apology is necessary, and when one will be helpful.
I wish you the
graciousness and the grace to accept apologies when they are offered sincerely.
Such forgiveness is important both for yourself and the person who is
apologizing; refusal to accept an apology affects you more than it affects the
person who is apologizing. Accepting apologies is another way of saying "I am
ready to move on with my life, and I am ready to put behind me the things that
belong there." Forgiveness is one of the strongest healing forces in the world,
and it must not be asked for or accepted lightly or without sincerity; it must
also not be rejected when offered sincerely.

What truly matters

If the distractions are too compelling, then your goal is
too small. To strengthen your focus, raise your ambitions.
Make your purpose
ten times more appealing than anything that could distract you. Make your goal
so meaningful and compelling that nothing can compete with it for your time and
attention.
You absolutely have the power to do great things. Yet in order for
that power to be effective, it must be applied consistently and
persistently.
Decide to make good and significant use of your great
abilities. Focus yourself, in the biggest way you can imagine, on what is
genuinely important.
Give yourself the joy of fulfillment by giving yourself
a big, bold challenge that’s worthy of your efforts. Set your sights high, and
make your moments count for something truly outstanding.
The world is
overflowing with meaningless distractions, and yet they do not have to steal
your life away. You can choose to focus your life on a magnificent expression of
what truly matters.
Ralph Marston

How to Get Things Done
by Jane Powell

“Stop running to answer every request.”
Does a ringing
telephone, a doorbell, or the sudden demand of an impatient co-worker make you
immediately stop what you are doing? Do you feel your tasks take second place to
the requests of others?
Every time you “drop everything,” your stress level
rises and your productivity sinks. So, make sure these interruptions are vital.
Demands on your life are often not as important as you think. What’s important
is “you,” and what you need to accomplish.
It’s time to get your priorities
in-check and make a conscious effort to separate what’s “important” from what’s
merely “urgent.” Ask yourself, “Is this really important, or could it be done
later?” Give your attention to the things that really count. You’ll find harmony
when you do.

Letting go without giving up

''Your serenity is based on taking responsibility without
taking blame, and letting go without giving up.''
I wish you the ability to
let go, the ability to allow yourself to allow life to do its thing without you
attempting to control the outcomes of everything that goes on around you. I hope
that you always will be able to recognize the situations over which you truly
have no control, and try to let them be, accepting the outcomes as they are, and
not judging them based on what you wanted them to be.
I wish you the ability
to see when attempts to control are appropriate, and when things are best left
alone. I wish you the ability to allow things to occur without your input;
sometimes our most important contribution is simply to observe. We can support
and love without telling others what to do, without trying to help them in every
facet of their lives; we must let others learn in their own ways and make their
own mistakes . Just as we don't accompany our children to every single class in
school that they attend, we don't need to be there to guide them through every
one of life's lessons.

Live beyond it
Don’t live with the disappointment. Live
beyond it.
You cannot stop what has already happened. However, you can let it
make you stronger and more determined.
Instead of dwelling on the pain or
injustice of what has happened, imagine the best possible outcome. Then get busy
moving yourself steadily and passionately toward that outcome.
Life has the
power to disappoint. Yet you have the power of life, and the power to move on to
bigger and better things.
When you have been disappointed, it means you truly
care, and that’s a very positive thing. Zero in on what you care about, and put
your energy into advancing those things in your life.
Look ahead, and look at
all the good and valuable things you can do. Look ahead, and step confidently
forward with a renewed sense of purpose and determination.
Ralph
Marston

“Work is a reward, not a punishment.”

If you enjoy your work, you also enjoy what comes with it,
such as peace of mind, enjoyment and fulfillment. If you don’t enjoy your work,
then days are tedious and each one drags by.

The truth is, you’ll never achieve pure happiness unless you
like what you do. Your fulfillment is in direct proportion to the amount of
pleasure you derive from daily tasks.

If you truly despise your job, stop punishing yourself and do
something about it. The rewards you feel from doing what you want to do are
priceless. You only live once and there is no reason I can think of not to enjoy
it!

The more time you spend feeling sorry for yourself, the moreThings you'll
have to be sorry about. If you insist onSeeing yourself as a victim, you'll
end up experiencing yourLife as a victim.

It doesn't have to be that way. Because you can choose
rightNow, and every day, to see yourself in a positive,Empowering
light.

The way you see yourself is up to you. It doesn't
haveAnything to do with the circumstances you happen to beFacing.

See yourself as the unique, beautiful, creative
andEffective person you know you are. See yourself as a bundleOf
positive, inspiring and meaningful possibilities that areWell on their way
to being fulfilled.

See that you are able to successfully handle whatever
lifeSends your way. See that you are able to thrive and grow andMake
positive meaning out of the world in which you live.

See yourself as constantly moving forward through it
all,With love and joy and purpose. And what you see, you will be .

****

Imagine and make it be

Imagine a life that is good, fruitful, joyous and fulfilling.
Imagine your particular place in that life.

Imagine doing what you love to do, and making a real positive
difference in many lives through your efforts. Imagine living precisely the way
you choose to live, and in accordance with your most treasured values.

See yourself living without doubt or limitation. See a life in
which fear is always overwhelmed by love.

Where you choose to go most often and most vividly in your
imagination, is where you enable your real life to go. The person you most
intensely and most passionately imagine yourself to be, is who you become.

You can imagine whatever you choose. And you can live the
beautiful reality of whatever you imagine.

A magnificent life is already within you. Imagine it, truly
see yourself living it, and make it be.

About Me

Hello there, Happy Day to you, I am a Mother, Grandmother and I love to Craft and Cook, Bake and I have a beautiful family who together we enjoy many things and I take time to share many things with you. I have taken many classes in cooking, baking and crafting and I have been lucky to be able to teach classes as well and I really enjoy people. I am always learning new things and trying new ideas as well as improving on old ones. Life is a wonderful Journey and I am making my own path, follow me and let me inspire you. Blessings